Stabilizing device for lighters on hatch covers of cargo vessels

ABSTRACT

The invention involves the securing of the second or upper lighters upon lighters previously positioned on the tops of hatch covers, the first or under lighters being secured to the tops of the hatch covers by wedges in the ordinary way. Present standard lighters are constructed with four corner posts having upper cap projections of at least partial frusto-pyramidal shape and lower castings having base sockets conforming to the same shape so that the sockets of the second or upper lighters will receive the cap projections of the lower lighters. The invention involves certain spring-activated wedges carried by the socket castings or housings whereby loose fits and the shifting of lighters incident to sea conditions are avoided.

mte States Patent 1191 1111 3,722,736

Goldman 1451 Mar. 27, 1973 54] STABILIZING DEVICE FOR LIGHTERS 2,963,310 12 1960 Abolins ..114 72 0 HATCH COVERS 01; CARGO 3,015,407 1/1962 Fesrlnire 1 ..220 97 B 3,083,670 4/1963 Har ander .2l4/10.5 R VESSELS 3,448,711 6/1969 Mulholland ..1 14/435 [75] Inventor: Jerome L. Goldman, .New Orleans,

I La- I Primary ExaminerGeorge E. Lowrance [73] Assigneez Lash Systems, Inc. New Orleans Att0rneyW1lk1nson, Mawhlnney & The1bault a 571 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: The invention involves the securing of the second or' [21] Appl. No.: 125,046 upper lighters upon lighters previously positioned on the tops of hatch covers, the first or under lighters [52] Us Cl 220/978 114/43 5 4/72 being secured to the tops of the hatch covers by 2 1 wedges in the ordinary way. Present standard lighters Int Cl B631) 35/28 B63b 25/02 865d 21/02 are constructed with four corner posts having upper Fie'ld 320/15 23 6 97 R cap projections of at least partial frusto-pyramidal f shape and lower castings having base sockets con- 220/97 114/43'5 z gti forming to the same shape so that the sockets of the p second or upper lighters will receive the cap projections of the lower lighters. The invention involves cer- [56] References cued tain spring-activated wedges carried by the socket UNITED STATES PATENTS castings or housings whereby loose fits and the shifting 3 178 216 '9-6 of lighters incident to sea conditions are avoided.

4 l 5 Huber ..294/67 DA 1 2,593,472 4/1952 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures McGinn ..2l4/lO.5 R

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SHEET 10F 2 INVENTOR. JEROME L. GOLDMAP.

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ATTORNEYS PATENTEDmzmza SHEET 2 [1F 2 JEROME L. GOLDMAN STABILIZING DEVICE FOR LIGHTERS ON HATCH COVERS OF CARGO VESSELS The present invention relates to STABILIZING DEVICE FOR LIGI-ITERS ON HATCH COVERS OF CARGO VESSELS.

Lighters and containerized cargo have heretofore been installed on the hatch covers of mechantman vessels and it has been common practice to install single lighters on top of hatch covers as by the use of wooden or other wedges.

However a problem has arisen as to how an additional lighter could be installed on top of a secured lower lighter and still maintain its place and'security against maximum rolling and pitching of the ship resulting from rough weather and high and running seas.

The object of the invention is to provide this security for upper lighters and to do so in a practical yet simple manner.

Another object of the invention is to utilize proved known constructions in different relations with substantial improvement in safety and security and with small additions of novel constructions active at all times to insure substantial immobility of the upper lighters.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the. invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a lower lighter installed in place on a hatch cover and a portion of a second lighter poised above the upper portion of the lower lighter.

' FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, with parts shown in plan, showing the cap fitted in the socket and engaged by the near inclined edge of the wedge.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spring pressure device for loading the wedge.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on an enlarged scale on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the socket member showing the wedge and guide rod for the drive coil spring.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a hatch cover while 12 indicates a lighter or cargo container brought to position above the hatch cover 11 by a traveling crane or the like and subsequently lowered onto the cover 11 in a well-known manner. According to common practice the lighter 12 is secured to the hatch cover by use of wooden wedges or otherwise.

In FIG. 1 a second lighter 12' is poised about the lower lighter 12 in the act of being lowered upon the lower lighter 12.

According to the invention the lighters are equipped with upstanding posts 14 of a suitable number, four such posts being customary, preferably located near corner portions of the lighters. The posts are substantially square or rectangular in cross-section and topped by upwardly projecting caps having preferably flat inclined side facets 15, for instance of a frustopyramidal form.

Complementing the frusto-pyramidal caps 15 are downwardly projecting base members, blocks or castings 16 on the lower ends of the posts 14 projecting below the bottom portions of the lighters, such lower post ends having downwardly opening truncated pyramidal facets or socket walls 17 in size complementary to the cap facets 15.

At least one wedge 18 is associated with each socket having an inner edge 19 laterally inclinedto agree substantially with the inclination of the facets or cap walls 17 as best seen in FIG. 4, and outer longitudinally inclined edges, as best seen in FIG. 2, with similar longitudinally inclined walls 21 of wedgeways or chambers provided in each block or socket element 16.

Appropriate means is provided for driving the wedges 18 in a left hand direction as viewed in FIG. 2. In FIGS. 2 and 3 a coil spring 22 is shown for the purpose being wound in a suitable number of convolutions about a guide rod 23 having a head 24 seated in a recess 25 of the block, which recess opens laterally at one side into the space occupied by the wedge 18 to permit the head 24 to be inserted and removed only on removal of the wedge 18. The large end of the wedge may be provided with a lateral extension 26 perforated to form a guideway slidable along the rod 23 and also such extension 26 forms the sliding abutment for the inner end of the coil spring 22. At its outer end this spring 22 abuts a washer 27 slidable along the guide rod and adjustable as to position on the guide rod 23 by one or more nuts 28 for varying the pressure exerted on the spring 22 for the purpose of varying the load exerted by this spring 22 on the wedge 18. This pressure may be in excess of one thousand pounds to compensate relatively for the huge weight of the loaded barges or other containers of cargo weighing into tons.

In use, the springs 22 bias all wedges 18 to the innermost positions shown by dotted lines to the left in FIG. 2 where the inner inclined edges 19 of the wedges are in the positions as shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinally inclined edges 20 and 21 having shifted the edges 19 to project toward the sockets 17 to the positions of FIG. 4 where such inner edges 19 are placed where same will encounter the flat inclined faces of the truncated sloping surfaces 15.

The upper lighter is lowered until its full weight rests upon the lower lighter. The rod 23 with the head 24 is thenplaced in the recess 25 so that the rod protrudes outward from lower end of the post 16. The wedge 18 is then inserted into the space provided for it, such that the lateral extension of the wedge 26 slides over the guide rod 23. The spring 22 is then placed on the guide rod 23 and the washer 27 follows, and then the nut 28 is screwed onto the guide rod 23. The tightening up of the nut 28 puts the spring 22 into compression, thus cre'ating a continuous force to tighten the wedge 18. During heavy rolling of the vessel the upper lighter 12' may shift slightly in the transverse direction. The wedges on the high side of the roll may experience a momentary slackness, and the springs will immediately tighten the wedges. Thus, this equipment will assure tightness of all wedges, and eliminate slackness that in turn could be, if not corrected, an unsafe effect.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a lighter having four corner posts for vertically stacking lighters one upon another, a lighter stabilizing system comprising a. a cap projection on each corner post having at least one flat side,

b. a base member at the bottom of each corner post,

c. each base member having a socket in the bottom thereof substantially complemental to the cap projection,

d. each base member having a wedge way with an inclined wall and at least one side of which is open to' said socket,

e. a wedge receivable in said wedge way and having a complementally inclined wall shaped to engage the flat side of said projection on the cap of a lower lighter on one side and the base member of the upper lighter on the other side, and

f. spring compression means connected between said base member and said wedge to urge and maintain said wedge against said projection and maintain locking engagement between said projection and complemental base.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the cap projection and complemental socket in said base member are of frusto-pyramidal form.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said wedge is tapered in the direction of entry into the base member and has a sloping side wall positioned to engage the frusto-pyramidal cap projection.

4. The combination of claim wherein said elements (e) and (f) comprise g. a guide rod, one end of which is connected to said base member and projects through a part of said wedge, and p h. a helical spring wound about said guide rod, and

i. means on the guide rod for compressing the spring in a direction to create spring action tending to drive the wedge into the wedge way and to drive the wedge against said projection on the cap.

5. The combination of claim 4 further comprising j. means on said guide rod for adjusting the compression of the spring.

6. The combination of claim 4 further comprising k. a head on said guide rod,

l. said base member having a recess for accommodating said head open to thewedge way for permitting removal and replacement of the head when the wedge is removed from the wedge way, and

m. said base member also having a slot narrower than said head to accommodate the guide rod.

7. The combination claimed in claim 1 in which said wedge way comprises 

1. For use with a lighter having four corner posts for vertically stacking lighters one upon another, a lighter stabilizing system comprising a. a cap projection on each corner post having at least one flat side, b. a base member at the bottom of each corner post, c. each base member having a socket in the bottom thereof substantially complemental to the caP projection, d. each base member having a wedge way with an inclined wall and at least one side of which is open to said socket, e. a wedge receivable in said wedge way and having a complementally inclined wall shaped to engage the flat side of said projection on the cap of a lower lighter on one side and the base member of the upper lighter on the other side, and f. spring compression means connected between said base member and said wedge to urge and maintain said wedge against said projection and maintain locking engagement between said projection and complemental base.
 2. The combination of claim 1 in which the cap projection and complemental socket in said base member are of frusto-pyramidal form.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said wedge is tapered in the direction of entry into the base member and has a sloping side wall positioned to engage the frusto-pyramidal cap projection.
 4. The combination of claim wherein said elements (e) and (f) comprise g. a guide rod, one end of which is connected to said base member and projects through a part of said wedge, and h. a helical spring wound about said guide rod, and i. means on the guide rod for compressing the spring in a direction to create spring action tending to drive the wedge into the wedge way and to drive the wedge against said projection on the cap.
 5. The combination of claim 4 further comprising j. means on said guide rod for adjusting the compression of the spring.
 6. The combination of claim 4 further comprising k. a head on said guide rod, l. said base member having a recess for accommodating said head open to the wedge way for permitting removal and replacement of the head when the wedge is removed from the wedge way, and m. said base member also having a slot narrower than said head to accommodate the guide rod.
 7. The combination claimed in claim 1 in which said wedge way comprises g. a straight line wall having an opening therethrough to admit contact between the near edge of the wedge and said cap projection, and h. an opposite tapering wall conforming to the taper of the wedge whereby longitudinal entering movement of the wedge will cause its straight line wall to move laterally toward and against the flat side of the cap projection. 